


We Can Make The World Stop

by badlifechoices



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Smut, might remind you of the hurt locker, sniper!pasha, soldier!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-17
Updated: 2014-11-17
Packaged: 2018-02-25 17:13:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2629811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badlifechoices/pseuds/badlifechoices
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“How’d you get here?” The Russian looks up, the question – or rather the fact that someone addressed him – obviously taking him by surprise. </p><p>“Same vay, you did. By air.”</p><p>“That’s not what I meant.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Can Make The World Stop

He doesn’t see the gun that is aimed at his head until it is already too late. _Click._ It echoes in his mind when he whirls around and then freezes. For a little moment it seems as though the world around him – around them – slows down. They say when you’re about to die your whole life flashes before your eyes but all he can see is the gun and the woman behind it. Her face is twisted up. Hate and rage and something else, her brows are furrowed and her figure is on the trigger. She’s too young to be here. She’s too young to be doing this – he thinks but there’s nothing he can do about it.

 

His fingers are still clutched around a part of the bomb he’s here to defuse. That’s what he’s doing. His job here is to make sure no one is blown up, not to fight armed civilians. Not to fight someone like _her._ But she took the choice away from him. Her finger squeezes the trigger and he flinches. The first bullet hits the wall behind him, the second tears through his shoulder. Pain floods through his body but the adrenaline keeps him on his feet. As still as he can, he’s still standing, eyes wide open I shock and then anticipation. Anticipation of the one bullet that will find its aim somewhere where it matters.

 

Death. Cold is seeping into his mind.

 

But there is no third shot. The bang he expected never reaches his ears.

 

Unable to even understand what is happening, he watches her still in her motion. Watches the gun dropping from her hand. Her mouth is open, lips formed around a silent shout of surprise. Her eyes are empty, when she stumbles and falls to the ground.

 

For another moment, he just stands and stares. The pain from his shoulder doesn’t find its way to his brain, he is frozen in place. Blood pools around her fallen body. It takes him another minute to spot the entry wound at the back of her skull and to realize that someone just saved his life. When he is able to tear his gaze away from the woman to his feet, he looks up. The streets around them are vacated, not a single soul in sight.

 

Squinting into the bright sun, he thinks he sees a shadow on one of the rooftops but it’s too far away to be certain.

 

“Sulu? Sulu, are you there?” The voice filtering through his com is what brings him back into reality. With a gasp he reaches for his shoulder, then ducks into the shadows of the nearest building, looking around to make sure there is no one else who will come at him with a gun.

 

“I’m here.”

 

“What about the bomb?”

 

“Taken care of. But I need to get out of here. Took a bullet to the shoulder.”

 

“Shit. Those fucking dog again.”

 

The solider throws a glance at the dead woman. She had been scared and angry. Angry at them for invading their country and killing their people… Maybe she lost people in this war too, maybe that is what made her desperate enough to attack him like this. Still, he wouldn’t have called her a dog…

 

“We’re almost there. Sit tight we’re getting you out.”

 

* * *

 

 

The doctor looks exhausted. His brows are furrowed, when he examines his shoulder and then announces that he has been lucky. “The bullet went right through. Nothing life threatening. It’s gonna hurt like a bitch but you’ll be able to use the arm again in a few weeks. Talk to the Colonel about it, if he doesn’t need you here, he’ll send you home with the next transport. Until then, painkillers should do the job.”

 

Hikaru nods. The doctor gives him a pat on the shoulder before he heads to his only other patient. The sling his arm is now in makes it a bit more complicated to put his jacket back on so he just wraps it around him somehow. Once he’s on his feet again he grabs the bottle of pills the doctor left for him and leaves the infirmary.

 

On his way back he encounters one of the soldiers of his team. They exchange a few words about the operation and his wound but they have nothing else to talk about so they part again. Before the other soldier can leave, a thought crosses Hikaru’s mind and he turns to ask him something else.

 

“The sniper, the one who shot the woman, who is he?”

 

The other soldier thinks about it for a little moment, before she shrugs. “I have no idea. But from your description he made a great shot. So you should try Marcus or Chekov, heard they’re the best around here.”

 

Hikaru thanks her and she nods and proceeds on her way. Major Carol Marcus he knows, he’s run into her before and according to Jim she’s one hell of a shot. But Chekov, that name doesn’t ring a bell. For now, he decides to not think about it too much, the painkillers have already taken effect in making his brain foggy and it’s probably better to rest for now and give his body to recover from the strain of today’s mission. There will still be time to find out who saved his life and thank them for it.

 

* * *

 

 

Colonel Pike doesn’t send him home. Hikaru doesn’t even ask for it, he just informs his superior about what the doctor said, that he’ll be back in the game in a few weeks and asks for another assignment. There is no reason for him to return home now. The time he’s supposed to be serving will be over in about three months anyway and his injuries aren’t severe. Also he’s one of the best they have, so he can still work in assisting the other techs over the com. The only person who knows more about bombs, all kinds of bombs, on the base might be Scott, one of the Engineers. Which makes Hikaru the one with the advantage of having real life experience in the field.

 

What he does, however, is ask the Colonel about the sniper. As it turns out Marcus was on base at the time, which leaves only one other person who could’ve taken the shot.

 

* * *

 

 

Lieutenant Chekov is not what he expected. The young, lean man with the unruly mop of curls on his head and almost childish features is not at all what he expected. Hikaru finds him at the side of the football field. The smaller man is sitting on a patch of grass, watching the other soldiers play and pressing a cigarette to his lips. He doesn’t even look up when Hikaru approaches him.

 

“Lieutenant Chekov?”

 

Still not looking up, the other man just gives him a curt little nod.

 

“I’m Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu. You kind of saved my life two days ago.” That finally makes the other soldier look up. Chekov looks him over, gaze catching on his shoulder for a moment, unimpressed, before he gestures for Hikaru to sit down next to him.

 

“You vere ze guy in ze street.” Somehow the thick, Russian accent doesn’t really surprise him. It suits this man, as crazy as that sounds.

 

“Yeah. That was a great shot.” The Russian only shrugs.

 

“Eet vas nozeng. A blind man could’ve taken zat shot.” His voice suggests that he doesn’t wish to argue about this point though Hikaru thinks that he’s being too modest. The roof must’ve been almost a kilometre away from the scene and with the dust in the air and the moving target it would’ve been hard to aim.

 

“Still. I have to thank you for saving my ass.” The other soldier shrugs again and blows a cloud of smoke into the hot air. There is nothing else left to say so Hikaru just joins him in watching the others play in companionable silence. When he stands up to leave and head back to his own barrack, Chekov gives him a little nod.

 

* * *

 

 

“How’d you get here?” The Russian looks up, the question – or rather the fact that someone addressed him – obviously taking him by surprise.

 

“Same vay, you did. By air.” Hikaru rolls his eyes but he can’t help the grin spreading over his lips at the joke. A bit awkwardly he puts down his tray on the table and then slips into the seat next to the sniper. The mess isn’t crowded, there are enough other free tables and the way Chekov glances around to assert just that is obvious. But Hikaru doesn’t let it discourage him.

 

“That’s not what I meant.” He started, when he grabbed his sandwich with his good hand and took a bite. Chewing for a moment, he watches the other soldier raise an eyebrow. “Why Iraq? Why the army? Why the _US_ army?”

 

The expression on Chekov’s face is nothing if not unreadable but he doesn’t seem too taken aback by the question. “I came to ze US vhen I vas young. Ze army offered me a job and I took eet. I am good at vhat I do so zey send me vhere zey need me.” It sounds completely logical now that he says it. And he says it as though it is something completely obvious. Like Hikaru is stupid to not come to that conclusion by himself.

 

“Makes sense.” Hikaru half expects the conversation to be over after this and he focuses on his sandwich again, when the younger suddenly addresses him.

 

“Vhy are _you_ here?“ Chekov doesn’t really look interested in his story, like he only asks because he thinks it’s what Hikaru wants but when he looks up there’s a spark in his eyes that makes it seem like he really does want to hear the answer.

 

“My dad was in the army. I wanted to become a pilot like him but it was nothing for me. I was more into taking things apart and-“ And almost sheepish grin finds its way onto his lips. “I kind of got into trouble because I was taking too many risks. So my superior told me to try bombs and here I am. Iraq was the one location on the lit that sounded the least unpleasant. And a few friends of mine are here too, so it wasn’t a hard choice, really.”

 

The Russian stares at him for another moment, then blinks and goes back to his dinner. Hikaru’s not sure what reaction he expected but Chekov is the first one who doesn’t question the way, his story makes him sound like an adrenaline-junkie of some sort.

 

* * *

 

 

It’s not the first time he’s celebrating Christmas away from home but it’s the first time in a place like this. Iraq in winter is as hot as it was in the summer and the plastic tree a few of the other soldiers put up in the mess looks a bit sad with only the three grey paper stars someone has pinned to its branches. There is no such thing as a Christmas spirit here. It’s still war, if only a dirty and nasty war fought in the streets with bombs hidden under rags and plastic bags and people shooting at you from the dark of their houses.

 

With his arm still in a sling, Hikaru has been told to help out on the mess, giving out the special Christmas dinner. Special means that there are a few chocolate cookies and a tiny slice of pie next to the standard meals. It’s nothing compared to the wonderful Christmas dinner e would get back at home where his mother would cook and bake all day to make sure everyone ends up happy and stuffed with turkey and sweets.

 

Still it’s not as bad as it could be. In the evening a few of the other teams gather in the mess around the tiny plastic tree to celebrate. Someone breaks out the eggnog and beer – no one really cares if it’s against regulation or not after all they deserve it – and there are Christmas songs playing over the speakers. One of the soldiers even put up a mistletoe over the entrance and even though nearly everyone complains about it, no one takes it down again.

 

The kisses that are traded are cause for much entertainment and cheering. Hikaru makes sure to avoid the mistletoe as best as he can, having no desire to kiss any of his fellow soldiers.

 

Jim and Nyota tell stories about their homes and he is content to just listen to them for the rest of the evening. It isn’t until he decides to leave, having had his fair share of eggnog and heard enough stories about Jim’s love life that he finds himself caught under the mistletoe after all.

 

Surprised he blinks down at the person he’s run into as he tried to get through the door only to find himself trapped in two familiar blue-green eyes. If he’s honest he didn’t really expect Chekov to show up at all, the man doesn’t seem to be the person to attend parties and hang out with a lot of people but then again, it’s Christmas and maybe he just wanted to get something to eat.

 

For a moment they just kind of stare at each other until Hikaru clears his throat and points up at the plant hanging over their heads. “Uhm, I guess that means it’s us.” The Russian follows his gaze and Hikaru wonders if they even have that tradition where he comes from. The other’s expression doesn’t give away any of his thoughts but there are people calling out their names and it would be even more awkward to back off now.

 

“I guess.” Is all Chekov says and Hikaru takes it as a sign of consent that he doesn’t run away or punch him. And he will probably blame it on the alcohol later but he takes his time to lean in and bring their lips together. It could just as well be the eggnog but somehow he’s convinced that it’s not just him who is responsible for the gentle press of lips to turn into something else. It’s still slow but there are tongues, tentatively moving against each other and they’re a lot closer than they were before.

 

It’s only when some of the other soldiers start cheering and whistling that they break apart. Chekov’s face is flushed and for a moment he looks almost panicked but then he schools his face back into his usual unimpressed expression. The sniper gives him a little nod, before disappearing into the crowd.

 

Hikaru finds himself hurrying out of the room, his head swimming. There is warmth in his chest and dragonflies in his stomach when he finally falls into his bed and he’s pretty sure it’s not just the alcohol.

 

* * *

 

 

The next time he meets Lieutenant Chekov is under a lot less pleasant circumstances. Hikaru has just entered the infirmary to finally get rid of his sling. It’s been eight weeks since he’s been shot by that Iraqi woman and he doesn’t even need the painkillers anymore. It only hurts when he moves his arm too much but he has to get his mobility back sooner or later.

 

No one spares him a glance, when he steps through the doors, the doctor and the two nurses that should be on duty are out of sight. So he just sits down on one of the plastic chair to wait. It’s not like he has got anything else to do at the moment.

 

Only moments later though, the doors to the infirmary are forcefully pushed open and suddenly the room is filled with loud voices. The doctor and one of the nurses are pushing a gurney, the other nurse hurries to open the door at the other end of the room for them. “Get him on the operation table, _now!”_ Hikaru hears McCoy call out and then the door falls shut again. Emergencies are nothing unusual, he has seen his fair share of death and injury and he feels almost bad for being as detached as he is.

 

The guilt fades into the background noise of his mind, when he spots the person who quietly followed the medical team into the infirmary. Chekov is standing in the middle of the room. He looks lost, gaze fixed on the closed door in front of him like he doesn’t know what to do with himself. His shoulders are slumped and his uniform is stained with dirt and blood. Blood that is not his own. The expression on his face completes the look. Chekov looks desperate. Haunted. His lips pressed together into a thin line, eyes wide. His features speak of pain and anger.

 

Not quite sure what’s the right course of action, Hikaru carefully touches his shoulder. “Hey there. It’s gonna be alright.” It doesn’t seem to do any good but there is nothing else he can do to help the other soldier at the moment. When he lets his hand fall away from his shoulder again, Chekov turns to face him. He looks at Hikaru but without really seeing him.

 

His lips move but without making a sound. Then he blinks and his expression changes, as though he has just noticed Hikaru. “Sulu.” Chekov says quietly.

 

Hikaru nods. “It’s me. Come on, you look like you’re about to have a break down.”

 

“I cannot leewe! Eet is my fault he is here…” The Russian starts and he half turns back towards the closed door.

 

“Alright. We’re just gonna sit here and wait then.” Gently taking hold of the younger man’s shoulder again, Hikaru leads him over to the chair he’s been sitting on before. Chekov follows him pliantly and without another word. Hikaru hurries to get another chair and sits down next to him.

 

They wait for at least two hours until the door to surgery opens and the doctor steps out. The man looks tired but satisfied. Hikaru doesn’t know when they started holding hands and who took whose first but when Chekov lets go in order to approach the doctor, he can’t help the feeling of disappointment that overcomes him.

 

After another minute he forces himself to get up too and joins the two other men.

 

“He is going to be alright?”

 

“Yeah. It was a close call but you did the right thing in bringing him back ASAP. We can get him back to a real hospital as soon as he’s stable. He’s gonna live but he might not be able to use his legs again.”

 

Chekov pales at these words but still nods. His hands are shaking but he pushes them into his pockets. Hikaru watches him for another moment, wondering why he feels like he wants to wrap the other man up in a blanket and hold him and tell him that everything would be alright.

 

One of the nurses tells him to take off the sling and then changes his bandages. When he leaves the infirmary he’s surprised to find Chekov waiting for him. The sniper is leaning against the wall and when Hikaru approaches him, he looks up. Wide, blue-grey eyes seem to search his face for something, then he is suddenly grabbed and pulled down and into a desperate kiss.

 

Hikaru is once again taken by surprise but he quickly gets over it. Leaning in he returns the kiss, crowding the younger man against the wall in his back and pressing their bodies together. It’s not a gentle kiss like their first one and it tastes like pain and guilt and want.

 

Parting leaves them panting, gasping for air but neither of them moves away. They stay pressed together, sharing breaths and gazing into each other’s eyes.

 

Neither of them says another word as they leave the building. They’re walking close enough that their arms brush every now and then. Hikaru is glad that he doesn’t have to share his tiny room now and he quickly pulls the Russian inside, locking the door behind him.

 

“What do you need?” He finally asks, turning around to face the other man. Because all he wants is to be there for Chekov, and help him through this no matter what it entails. Chekov glances at the bed, then at him, then at his own feet.

 

“Not zat but…” He gestures, like he doesn’t know the words or he can’t find the right ones. “Be viz me tonight?”

 

And Hikaru nods, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and his favourite hoodie and tossing them at the Russian so he doesn’t have to keep wearing the bloodied uniform. The man gives him a grateful look before he begins to quickly undress. The more creamy and pale skin he exposes the more Hikaru realises how much he wants this man.

 

They end up on the bed, cuddled up together under the blanket. They’re both lost in their own thoughts but the warmth and comfort seems to be enough to calm the sniper. His hands stop shaking after a while and his breath becomes more even. In the end he falls asleep. Normal people – civilians might look peaceful in their dreams. Chekov still looks haunted with the dark circles under his eyes and the lines on his face. At the same time he seems almost fragile. Hikaru brings one hand up to run his fingertip over his temple, down to his cheek and over his jaw. After a while he falls asleep as well, thinking that he wishes Chekov was his to take care of. He wants to make sure he doesn’t break.

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning Chekov is gone. Hikaru doesn’t see him all day until he finds the man curled up in his bed later. With his head buried in the pillow the Russian seems to be sleeping uneasily. He’s shaking and whimpering in his sleep. Crawling under the covers as well, Hikaru pulls him close and runs his hands up and down the younger man’s arm until his breathing evens out and he stops shaking. Instead of doing the report he’s supposed to be writing, he ends up watching Chekov sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

The next day the injured soldier is taken to a hospital in the states and Chekov disappears with a pack of cigarettes and without as much as a glance at Hikaru. That night his bed feels cold and uninviting. It is as though something is missing and he tells himself it’s a stupid sentiment. Still he can’t stop his mind from thinking about a certain sniper. The sky is already a light grey again, when he finally falls asleep.

 

* * *

 

 

It’s his first mission after the doctor cleared him for duty again and it’s only one week until the end of his assignment. It’s a routine mission and everything goes as plan. His arm is still bothering him but it doesn’t impair his performance in any way. When he gets back to the base he’s exhausted but enthusiastic. The rush of adrenaline and joy over the unproblematic way the mission went are still cursing through his veins, when he steps through the door of his room and finds someone else sitting on his bed.

 

Chekov is looking up at him, his expression as always unreadable but this time Hikaru doesn’t let it intimidate him. Blame it on the adrenaline, he thinks when he crosses the room with two steps. Taking the younger man’s face in two hands, he leans down and kisses him. When they part this time, Chekov tilts his head, bottom lip caught between his teeth. For the first time he looks uncertain, almost shy.

 

“Do you vant me?” The words hang heavily in the air between them until Hikaru finally realises what they mean.

 

“Yes.” He breathes out and a little smile tugs at Chekov’s lips.

 

“Good.” It’s all that needs to be said. The next second, the Russian pulls him down onto the bed and they’re kissing again. It’s neither frantic nor slow, neither of them has the patience to wait very long but apparently they have enough restraint not to ruin this.

 

Hikaru hungrily watches Chekov strip, then helps him get rid of his own clothes. He loves the way his tanned hands look on the pale skin and he marvels at how smooth it is. There are scars and yet the Russian still looks like a piece of art. With an impatient huff, Chekov presses him into the mattress and straddles him.

 

“You vant zis?” The sniper asks again and Hikaru think that it’s him who should be asking. Unable to come up with words to say, he just nods. And he wants to ask if the other man has lube or condoms or anything but his train of thought is interrupted when the younger man simply takes hold of his cock and sinks down on him, impaling himself. _Oh._ Chekov is tight even though he has obviously prepared himself for this. The image of him working his fingers up his arse in order to take him like this would be enough to drive any man insane. Combined with the tight heat engulfing him, it has him fisting the sheets, a deep, guttural groan escaping his throat.

 

The Russian rides him and Hikaru thinks that if heaven isn’t like this it must be a cheat. It’s too good to last very long and he comes apart before he knows it, throwing his head back and spends himself inside his lover and _so much for the safe sex speech he got at least three times since he joined the army._ Through his haze of pleasure he watches the younger man stroke himself a few times before he collapses on top of him with a muffled cry, body shaking and clamping around the oversensitive cock still buried inside him.

 

They lie like this for a while, catching their breaths and basking in the aftermath of their coupling.

 

It is Chekov who moves first, carefully climbing off him and getting out of the bed. Hikaru feels a jab of disappointment, when he watches the sniper put his clothes back on but he doesn’t say a word. Before he knows it, the other is at the door. With his hand on the door handle, Chekov turns around and gives him a smile. “Zank you.” Then he disappears into the hallway.

 

* * *

 

 

Hikaru doesn’t talk to Chekov again until he leaves the Iraq to head back to the states. The only times when he saw the sniper was when he was either leaving for a mission or coming back from one and on his way to a debriefing. And the other man doesn’t visit him in his room anymore. He’s telling himself that it never was anything serious. Comfort and stress relief, just that and nothing else.

 

The helicopter is hovering two feet over the ground and he’s already handed his bag to one of the other soldiers when he hears his name being called. The voice is familiar but unexpected. When he turns around, he spots the sniper and even through the dust in the air, he can see the smile tugging at the other man’s lips. Hikaru raises a hand in a wave of goodbye and suddenly he feels guilty. Maybe he should’ve tried harder to find the other soldier, at least to say his goodbyes. But now it’s too late for that.

 

To his surprise the Russian just gives him a thumb-up and then shouts something else. It’s not loud enough to reach his ears through the noise of the rotor blades above his head. When he’s finally seated and peering out of the window the sniper is still there. And the warm and fuzzy feeling that bubbles up in his chest has nothing to do with the turbulent flight.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It’s over a year later when they meet again.

 

Libya is hot this time of the year but not as hot as the Iraq. Still he is glad that the pre-mission debriefing is held in one of the rooms with a working A/C unit.

 

Hikaru frowns as he looks through the blueprints of the city. He’s supposed to lead a team in and take care of what was reported as a possible car bomb. But with the many buildings around there is no guarantee they’re not walking into an ambush of some sort. And even if they don’t it’ll be risky.

 

“I’ll need a sniper.” He finally states, looking up at his superior officer. “There’s no way we can guarantee anything without a really food sniper.”

 

The older man only nods. “I got you one already. He should be here any minute.”

 

The timing is perfect, like in one of those Hollywood movies: The moment the Colonel finishes his sentence, the door opens. Hikaru rolls his eyes, expecting some kind of young wannabe to be standing there in their shiny boots but the thought is wiped from his mind when he turns around. Just like everything seems to disappear from his brain, every coherent thought. Instead he finds himself staring, unable to come up with anything to say.

 

“Lieutenant Pavel Andrejevich Chekov, ser. I heerd you are looking for a good sniper.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm too tired to proofread this so I apologise for all and any mistakes. Also I'm bad with titles. Aaand I'm sorry if the ending is kind of lame.


End file.
